KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The U.S. Department of Labor has ruled in favor of a nuclear engineer who says the Tennessee Valley Authority fired her in retaliation for reporting safety and personnel concerns.
The Labor Department is ordering the utility to restore Beth Wetzel’s job and compensate her more than $200,000 in back pay, lost benefits, damages and legal fees, according to the Labor Department order obtained by the Knoxville News Sentinel.
TVA said it fired Wetzel for insubordination because she spoke negatively about supervisor Erin Henderson, but the Labor Department ruled Wetzel properly raised safety concerns and gave “honest” testimony about Henderson’s performance during an internal work environment investigation.
TVA disagrees with the findings and will appeal, spokesman Scott Brooks told the newspaper.
The complaint began in 2016, shortly after Henderson was promoted to the director of regulatory affairs role after fewer than six years with the utility, the Labor Department filings show. From then until 2018, Wetzel filed a series of nuclear safety complaints with Henderson and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, including alleged violations of worker fatigue rules.